today is thursday, july 22nd. i'm andrea roane. angie goff is here. she has traffic, an old problem from yesterday causing problems today but let's begin with howard and the forecast. it's hot. hot. >> getting hotter. yesterday we were 93. today looking at 95 and potentially 100 by saturday. that would be a record breaker. not going to break it tomorrow. a couple of degrees shy but serious heat moving in opposed to annoying heat we have been having for weeks and weeks. we have had big time storms in new england. a lot of damage in connecticut. around here storms to the south and west. isolated showers last night and stevens city has a lone shower. temperatures in the winchester area down to 77. we are at 82 in washington. and believe it or not it is 68 in culpeper. today expect another hot, maybe a little less humid afternoon with highs around 95. the lunchtime temperature 90. by 9:00 84.

here's angie. good morning. hope you are off to a great thursday. thursday. weekend is almost here. we will help you get there. on the inner loop at 236 in virginia is where we have the first accident of the morning early on. hopeful it will will be clear shortly. moving to 66 we take you outside. everything is a go out of manassas through centreville to inside the beltway. if you are traveling on 395, 395 heading northbound looks like drivers are moving at speed past duke street to the 14th street bridge. we want to move you to 270 and show you in maryland the roads are wide open from 121 to the split and inbound new york avenue drivers, you are looking at a nice quiet commute. if we switch the camera over i can show you volume light this morning in northeast dc. back to you. >> thank you. we are beginning to get a better picture of the man prince georges county police say will be remembered as one

of the most 0 notorious serial killers in our area's history. he worked a u.p.s. employee at the landover facility. gary has been wading through court documents to bring us more on the man from upper marlboro. thorps warehouse where he worked in landover was also where the feds say he met customers to sell stolen weapons out of the trunk of his car. one was a paid informant who reported weapons last year. police describe him as a opinion of interest in the killings of karen lofton and karissa. he lived with his parents within two miles of the victims and was known in his neighborhood as a brain yak and as someone accused of breaking in to this woman's home. >> it is just scary, you know. it is scary. >> reporter: court documents show him to have a violent past

including armed home invasions with a u.p.s. employee and charges of. he is a largo high school graduate with a degree from the university of maryland university college. police call him a collar of law enforcement procedure who altered his crimes to the extent an fbi profiler said those mother-daughter murders were not committed by the same person. >> reporter: police believe the suspect's list of crimes will go as the investigation continues. they are, for example, looking at this murder of a bowie woman to see if he was responsible for that as well. a virginia man facing terror charges is due in court today. federal officials say that he tried twice to travel to somalia to join up with a radical group linked to al- qaeda. he is best known for posting an on-line warning that the creators of south park risk

death by mocking the prophet mohammad. he was apparently on a no fly list and never made it overseas. after being fired, shirley sherrod says she may consider returning to her job at the agriculture department. they apologized to her for firing her and offered her job back. as tara mergener reports the decision to fire her was based on an edited video, posted on a don't servetive website in which she talked about her dealings with a white farmer 24 years ago. >> reporter: shirley is still deciding whether to go back to the department of agriculture. >> she has a unique set of skills, which i think would lend themselves to assisting and helping usda as we deal with trying to turn the page on our civil rights chapter.

>> reporter: secretary tom vilsack offered to hire her for a new role, days after firing her over this speech. -- it soon became clear the comments were taken out of con text and there was nothing racist about the speech at all. >> without a doubt, miss sherrod is owed an apology. i would certainly do so on behalf of this administration. >> reporter: vilsack maintains the obama administration had nothing to do with his decision are. >> i appreciate the concern that folks are expressing but this was my decision and i made it in haste. >> reporter: she said she tried to get the white house to watch the full tape. >> had that been done, we wouldn't be here having this conversation today.

>> reporter: but some lawmakers are blaming the media for jumping the gun. >> this issue is not about race. this issue is about reports and responding. >> reporter: and they say avoiding a rush to judgment. tara mergener, cbs news, washington. a storm brewing in the caribbean has forced a deep sea efforts to plug the ruptured oil well to a near stand still. crews suspended work on the relief well and say the cap that is keeping it bottled up may have to be open letting the crude gush for days. many are calling for a moratorium on off shore drilling to be rescinded. thousands rallied in opposition to the ban saying it is costing them their livelihoods. meanwhile, big oil is trying to assure washington it is prepared prepareder the next oil spill. common mobile, conoco and shell oil all say they have agreed

too pool $1 billion to form a company that would respond to off shore oil spills at up to 10,000 feet underwater. the suspect held in connection with the murder of a renowned artist allegedly used a pair of scissors to kill her. raymond williams faces first- degree murder charges for the sunday stabbing. williams was an employee of the man who renned office space to her. police say in that space is where williams beat her and tried to cover up the crime. a preliminary hearing is set for williams on august 20th. several dc residents are dealing with the possibility of having to live next to medical marijuana clinics. the council and mayor approved medical marijuana. congress must decide whether or not to block the idea. meanwhile, a rabbi wants to open a medical marijuana clinic

around the takoma park metro but some are not sure that's a good idea. >> not opposed to medical marijuana but i'm not sure this is the right neighborhood. >> reporter: why? >> there's a lot of youngsters around here and i'm not sure they can police it the right way. >> we think it will be a great location with an off duty police officer on location at all times. >> the markets look to rebound from a down day and an american automaker is making waves this the world of hybrid automobiles. you are watching 9 news now. it is 82 degrees. we'll be right back.

time for the first "living $mart" report of the morning

and jessica is here with the headlines. the federal reserve chairman warned lawmakers yesterday the economy is fragile. bernanke says the outlook is unusually unsurgeon and the low interest rates are still needed. wall street didn't like the forecast. the dow is standing at 10120. it dropped 109 points yesterday. the nasdaq off by 35 and the s&p 500 was off by almost 14. meantime the senate has passed a bill restoring unemployment benefits to millions of americans who have been out of work six months or more. the president is set to sign the measure this to law after a final house vote coming today. it is welcome relief to 2.5 million people who have seen their benefits expire. republicans are talking about repealing sweeping financial reform legislation that's been signed in to law by president obama. the white house says the law will protect the economy from excessive risk taking on wall street and protect consumers. opponents say it will slow

economic growth and kill jobs. the first time an american automaker plans to sell a hybrid car for the same lower price as the gas counterparts. it could remove one obstacle for drivers who want a greener ride. the lincoln mkz desan won't be cheap at $35,000 but a decision by ford to match the twices of the two styles could lead competitors to do the same thing and that would bring down the price of hybrids. >> good news. for more "living $mart" headlines, log on to our website at wusa9.com and click on the "living $mart" tab on the front page. a popular beach destination in our region offers a warning to potential swimmers. and doctors take a new stand on caffeine and pregnant women. it is 4:42. you are watching 9 news now.

welcome back to 9 news now. an astronomers believe they have found what may well be the

world's largest star. it is believed to have a mass of 265 times that of the effort's sun making it the most massive star discovered to date. it was identified by a team in england. they used a combination of new observations from the very large telescope facility in chile and data gathered previously with the hubble space telescope. >> i was reading up on this and it could be a binary star but it is so bright they want to see. it is bright. it will burn out faster than our sun because it is burning through its fuel a lot faster. >> it is 82 already. >> compared to tomorrow and saturday, it will feel like a cool day. >> oh. >> had a couple of showers not too much there but one passing up to baltimore. another one in western maryland

and west virginia. this is falling apart quickly. looking at the day at a glance, sunny and hot. 84 by 9:00. expect it to drop another couple of degrees. 79 or 80 for the low. 90 by noon and 95 for a high today. hotter, slightly less humid in the afternoon. winds will dry the air a bit but a hot day nonetheless. warming quickly with isolated shower. 68 to 88 here in the next couple of hours. northwest winds at five. this afternoon a sunny and hot. 95. northwest winds five to ten. tonight, not that bad although mild. clear to partly cloudy. coolest spots upper 60s and lower to middle 70s and the sunset at 8:28. it is 75 from easton and also in frederick 75. i got my doubts about culpeper's thermometer. a lot of doubts about the

outlying thermometers but 76 winchester and 73 tappahannock and a 80 at andrews air force base. 80 as we said at andrews. 78 bwi. reston and fairfax, 77 and 74 in springfield. officially in washington 82. no doubts here. 84 is the heat index. if you watch the dew point with me yesterday these were 72, 73. they dropped to me mid-60s which is muggy but 70 or higher is tropical air. so we have dried out a tiny bit. the pressure responsible for the heat, you can see here it moved south and west of us thanks to a weak trough that pushed through. minnesota and iowa getting more severe weather. and for us the northwesterly flow of wind, that's bringing that slightly drier air mass in that we will be dealing with for today. it also means hot weather because yesterday we had the

clouds. and we won't have much of that today. nine future cast showing all of the action really stays well west and southwest of us. very little here. maybe a few clouds tomorrow morning. tomorrow we may bubble up isolated storms in the afternoon and then on saturday in the high heat. saturday will be the hottest day as temperatures on saturday could make it near 100 degrees. in the tropics watching this tropical wave. it is has not developed yet but computer models take it to the gulf of mexico here. as we go in time the models now further south and west in the florida straits here by midday on friday and the gulf here on saturday morning. if this thing develops by sunday, that could be real big trouble. look at where it is going to the oil spill and louisiana. we will watch it closely. for us the seven-day forecast, temperatures hot today and even hotter on friday and saturday. isolated storm tomorrow. we cool to 95 on sunday after saturday's record-breaking 100 and only around 90 on monday,

tuesday and wednesday. here's angie. we will begin with an overview look aft the region. nice and green all over. take a look here. we want you to know -- actually we will get you the graphic in a moment but i want you to know on the outer loop at river road, we are watching for a little roadwork to the right side. should be clearing in the next ten to 12 minutes or so if you are heading out right now. 95 northbound we are doing fine from dumfries to the springfield spore change. talk about the maps here. route 4, rout 5, 301. all the roads are checking out clear. no major incidents or construction to report. look at the american legion bridge. already a good amount of volume crossing the bridge in to maryland and virginia but overall drivers are moving at speed. taking you to 270 southbound lanes are open for business past montross to the beltway and looking at the district, inbound new york avenue, where drivers not much going on.

looks volume light from the washington times building to the third street tunnel. back to you. >> thank you. dominion virginia power is calling on customers to don't serve energy. the utility says power usage rode by 14% in june compared to a year ago and usage has jumped even more this month. dominion says it is having no trouble keeping up with the demand for electricity so far this summer and any further increase in demand should not cause any shortages or outages. if you are planning to go to virginia beach anytime soon be forewarned, there's no swimming or wading in the north end. health officials issued the warning because of high bacteria levels in the water. the north end is near 83rd and 89th streets. warning signs are going up in the affected area. the house of representatives is considering a measure to keep the u.s. navy ship comfort in baltimore. the want to move the ship to norfolk and build a $10 million

berth for it but congressman says the $5 million spent recently to upgrade the baltimore berth should keep the comfort where it is. >> you don't spend $5 million a couple of years ago and then change your mind and say we don't need it anymore and we want 10 million to move the ship. >> reporter: no matter the outcome, nothing would happen until 2013. the congressman points out housing the comfort in baltimore keeps it closer to bethesda naval hospital where most of the crew work. taking a look at the living well headlines, doctors offer new advice for whom want a natural delivery after they have had a c-section. there's more medical evidence to go for it.

>> steinway park. >> reporter: when she gave birth to her son 2 1/2 years ago she had an emergency caesarian section. now 40 weeks pregnant with her second child, she envies -- she envisions a much different plan. >> naturally going in to labor and the whole progress through to the final outcome. >> reporter: she wants what is called vaginal birth after c- section. according to the american college of obstetrician and gynecologists 60 to 80% can have a natural delivery with the right person and a woman wants to it should be offered and it is considered pretty safe. >> reporter: patients fears qumeed with insurance company restrictions on doctors have kept the rate low. medical experts say it is part of the reason the c-section rate skyrocketed in the u.s.er. in the past 40 years it has gone from 5% in 1970 to 31% in

2007. some doctors have had legitimate concerns because there can be complications. >> the major risk of a vbac is the uterus rupturing. that happens 1% of the time. >> reporter: people who have had big babies or diabetic may require another caesarian or if they past their due dates because it is too risky to induce. the clock is ticking for this mom who is already overdue. >> in the end we just want a healthy baby. >> however the newborn is delivered. >> cbs news, los angeles. >> doctors also say if you have high blood pressure or are pregnant with twins, having a v become ac would in the be recommended. a new study says having a cup of coffee a day while pregnant is safe. researchers say moderate caffeine consumption, 12-ounces or less a day doesn't appear to

cause miscarriage or preterm birth. it is not clear whether higher levels of caffeine could cause a miscarriage. patients who use stattens to reduce bad cholesterol may not need to worry about their good cholesterol. usually good cholesterol is associated with a lower risk of heart disease but a new study shows once people's bad cholesterol is lowered, good cholesterol levels are no longer relevant. for more living well headlines, log on to wusa9.com and click on the living well tab on the front page. the former home of one of the nation's founding fathers will soon equally welcome every american. and from free gift cards to 50% off, many area stores are offering big bonuses to lure you in to their stores. it is 4:54. 82 degrees. you are watching 9 news now. 

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cortizone-10 easy relief applicator. good morning. welcome back to 9 news now. mount vernon the home of the nation's first president will be disabled friendly. the announcement is days before the 20th anniversary of the americans with disabilities act. a sputtering economy, a shrinking consumer confident den and retailers are feeling the pinch. they are now pushing some novel concepts to bring shoppers through their doors. >> because to run the business you need money flow. you need the money to buy inventory. >> reporter: david has struggled to get the money he needs to keep his store

stocked. he says he's not alone. >> the economy is slow and they need help. >> so when the bank just said no, small business owners, like david, can turn to sam's club for much-needed capital. >> we have 600,000 small business owners that come and shop in our stores. >> reporter: the store manager says they can all apply for a loan here when the other conventional routes fail. >> our small business members can get anywhere from 5,000 to $25,000 in loans and i think with our economy the way it is i think it will be a big help. >> reporter: sam's club is not the only retailer trying to lure shoppers in to the aisles. office depot is taking deals and downs further. >> we are giving away $100 gift cards to customers, $500 gift cards to teachers out there. >> they wanted to take advantage of in store sales after they have scouted deals

on-line. >> spend $75 on supplies and get 15 off and buy one get one free. so when you are shopping for two kids it is always great to have money. >> reporter: finding creative ways to save consumers money is the name of the game. open a target card and get 5% off every purchase. stock money in a toys "r" us holiday fund and they add 3% to the balance or buy a backpack at staples and they will reward you with a gift card equal to its cost. it is an offer they are hoping customers can't refuse. american eagle has a new offer where you try on jeans and get a smart phone. you have to purchase a two-year service plan. we thank you for watching us this thursday morning at 5:00 a.m. howard bernstein is here with a look at the forecast and a quick look at the screen says this is going to be a hot day. >> it is going to be a hot